The Ogoni socio-cultural organisation has accused Minister of Works David Umahi of misrepresenting the status of the East-West Road in Rivers State to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement issued by its president, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah, KAGOTE condemned the inclusion of the Eleme-Onne section of the road among projects commissioned by the President during a virtual ceremony on May 31. The group stated that the road remains largely unfinished, with only one lane under construction and none of the four planned overhead bridges completed.
KAGOTE described the move as a “deliberate act of deception,” calling it unworthy of a senior government official. “We are disappointed that a former governor and serving senator would misrepresent facts on such a visible national project. The President was misled,” the statement read.
The group stressed the strategic importance of the Eleme axis, which connects key industrial hubs in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. It warned that the slow pace of work was raising fears that the Federal Government might be planning to scale down the project—an action the group vowed to resist.
Calling on President Tinubu to intervene, KAGOTE said that full completion of the road would signal the administration’s commitment to regional development and national integration. “We appreciate the President’s appointments of Ogoni sons to federal positions, but this incident is unacceptable,” the group concluded.
